For Fordham coach Tom Masella, the annual meeting with Columbia isn’t just another game, the Liberty Cup isn’t just another piece of silverware. A former fireman at Brooklyn’s Engine Company 284 lost dozens of friends on 9/11, so the Cup — honoring alumni of both schools lost in the attacks — means something more to him.

Masella’s Rams played as if the game meant more, gutting out a come-from-behind 21-14 win over Columbia yesterday at Jack Coffey Field. The young Rams, relying heavily on freshmen and sophomores, after last year becoming the first Patriot League team to give football scholarships, were equal parts mature and inspired.

“We’re playing for something that means a lot to a lot of people,” said Masella, whose Rams (1-1) have won the Cup four of the last five years. “I never thought a football game meant a lot, but being here, seeing the 10th anniversary, we had 39 Fordham alumni who passed away that day. I lost a lot of friends. It means a lot to me, it means a lot to people involved with this team. It can’t change anything, but it brings a smile to their face . . . it means the world to them.”

Fordham had to earn the victory after Columbia (0-1) jumped ahead on Sean Brackett’s 12-yard touchdown pass to Kurt Williams.

Rams freshman quarterback Peter Maetzold led the comeback, going 22-of-30 for 212 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. Four of those passes went to fellow freshman (and fellow Texan) Sam Ajala, who tallied 76 yards, including a 60-yard score.

Fordham’s defense, which stunted more in the second half, had five sacks, a forced fumble and two picks — including linebacker Nick Womack’s league-record 100-yard return that knotted the score at 7-7 with 3:27 left in the first half, and sparked a Rams run of 21 unanswered points.

“The ball came to me and I just thought end zone after that,” Womack said. “We came out slow but kept the intensity, and in the end the hard work paid off. . . . It meant a lot. I was glad I came out here and played well. With the 9/11 victims, it meant a lot for a lot of people.”

In the third quarter, Maetzold spotted a blitz and hit Ajala on an inside screen, watching him split two defenders for a touchdown and a 14-7 lead. After Darryl Whiting (18 carries for 100 yards) ripped off a 36-yard run, and Maetzold sealed it with a 16-yard post touchdown pass to Carlton Koonce with 5:19 left.

For Fordham, it was a great finish — other than breaking the Cup during the presentation ceremony.

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The Rams are ineligible for the Patriot League title, an associate member after awarding football scholarships in 2010. The league was supposed to vote on whether to allow all its schools to award scholarships last winter, but tabled that vote for two years. If the vote is no, Fordham likely will look toward joining the CAA.